


where does the fun end and the crime begin?

by vantablack_99



Category: Comfy Cartel - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate universe - Mafia, Blood and Violence, F/M, OfflineTV - Freeform, Slow Burn, Soft Killers, The Comfy Cartel, Torture, choke me, no beta we die like men, she doesn't know does she
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:08:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29485782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vantablack_99/pseuds/vantablack_99
Summary: Corpse takes a liking to the Comfy Cartel's new resident Doctor. Said Doctor attempts to navigate the crime world, and it's nothing like she expected.
Relationships: Corpse Husband (Video Blogging RPF)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on Disguised Toast and Lilypichu’s Comfy Cartel idea, involving members of offlinetv and friends. I do not take credit for the idea.

_Bang!_

“Karma! _Karma!_ ”

Elisa’s eyelashes fluttered.

“Hey, _wake the fuck up!_ ”

Her eyes snapped open. She bolted upright in her bed and threw off the blankets. She tried to run but her legs were still asleep, and she stumbled to the floor. Her heart was beating quickly, adrenaline spiking as she regained her footing and sprinted to the source of the sound. She slid to a stop, scanning the area.

“Rae?”

“Behind you.”

Elisa spun around as Rae rushed past her. She followed her to the couch and saw a tall man in a weird looking mask groaning in pain, clutching his side. Rae was padding the couch with every towel they owned.

“What the fuck,” Elisa breathed. Then her instincts kicked in and she surveyed the man. Where he clutched his side, red stained his hands and the white shirt he was wearing. _Stop the bleeding._

She ran to her room and grabbed the first aid kit. Entering their living room, she dropped the box on the coffee table and rushed to the sink to wash her hands. “Put pressure on the wound with one of those towels,” she called back. “Tell me what happened, fast.”

“Drinking at a bar. We left and someone got the jump on us from an ally. Stabbed him in the side.”

“Other injuries?”

“No.”

“Blade still in the wound?”

“No.”

She dried her hands and walked back to the couch. “Lay down, head on the left.”

Rae helped him lay down on the couch while Elisa extracted sutures and gauze pads. Then she turned to inspect the wound, flapping open the bloody dress shirt.

 _Fuck._ That was a large cut. She found some extra-large gauze pads and pressed them onto the wound. The man grunted in pain.

“Find the Naproxen in there, give him, like, three.”

“What the hell is that gonna do?” Rae asked.

“He’s been drinking, I can’t give him anything else.”

Elisa held firm pressure on his side and glanced at his face. His mask covered ¾ of it, and the only part she could see of his actual face was his left eye. She noticed his breathing was slightly irregular and ragged.

“Hey, you lost a lot of blood and that mask is hindering oxygen flow. I’m going to take it off.”

“ _No._ ” The man’s eyes snapped open and his deep voice startled her. “I can’t take it off. I’m fine.”

She sighed. “Fine.” She hated uncooperative patients, but this was after hours and she was already pissed about being woken up.

Rae gave him the pills and water, and Elisa was slightly intrigued by the mask’s hinged jaw design that prevented him from taking it off. After a few minutes ― she’d lost track relatively quickly ― the bleeding slowed enough for her to start closing it. She cleaned off the immediate area with a gauze pad doused in a bit of alcohol. Then she lined up her sutures and picked one up with her needle driver. She grasped her forceps in the other hand and hovered over the slash in his side.

“This is going to hurt.” He gave a curt nod in response.

She drove the suture through the center of the slash and delicately tied it off. She repeated the action of halving the slash each time she sutured. By the time she was finished, she had laid close to thirty stitches.

The man in the mask had taken it better than she expected. He had grunted and groaned and fisted the couch to cope with the pain. She wished he hadn’t been drinking, then she could’ve given him something stronger for the pain. But most of the drugs she had swiped from the medical center reacted poorly with alcohol.

Elisa looked over her work with satisfaction, then proceeded to dress it. “Alright random guy on my couch. All finished.”

Rae hugged her tight. “Thank you so much, Karma. You are an actual, factual lifesaver.”

“Just doing my job. Please stop getting jumped, though. My sleep schedule can’t handle it.”

Rae chuckled at her, then she leaned down next to the man. “You’re staying here tonight. If you move other than to use the restroom, I will choke you. And not in the good way.”

Elisa was slightly disturbed by that. “Is he your coworker?”

“Yeah, we work for the same dude.”

“Hmm.” Elisa looked over the man again, laid back on her couch in his ruffled, bloody garments. He had a muscular build, but not overly so. She was still put off by the mask. It looked like a deranged rabbit. She noticed his shoes were still on, and bent down to unlace and remove them. “How do you feel?”

He took a moment to answer. “Like shit.”

“Do you feel worse, though? Faint or nauseated?”

“No.”

“I’m going to take your temperature really quick and check your pulse, okay? Just to make sure nothing else is going on.” She took out her thermometer and knelt beside his head. She gently moved his dark fringe away from the part of his forehead that was exposed and pressed the thermometer against his skin. She held it there until the indicator beeped, and she sighed in relief after she saw his temperature was normal. She set the instrument aside and asked Rae for her phone. Then she pressed two fingers against his artery and started a timer for one minute. She counted his heartbeats until the timer sounded and was also satisfied with the result.

“Do you need anything, Corpse?” Rae asked.

Huh. Weird name. Elisa stood up and began cleaning up some of the mess they’d made.

“No, I’m good, Rae. Thanks for not letting me bleed out.” He paused. “And thanks for stitching me up.”

Elisa turned around; his eyes were trained on her. “You’re welcome. Corpse.” She yawned into her hands and packed up her medical supplies. “Okay, I’m going back to sleep. Wake me up if anything is wrong.” She started back to her room but stopped. “Also, be really careful not to exert yourself. And you’ll need those removed in a week and a half, two max.” She started walking but stopped again. “You can come back here if you don’t know anyone who can remove them.”

Then she walked all the way to her room and plopped the first aid kit on her desk. Elisa flopped right into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

xx

Elisa walked into the kitchen the next morning with her work bag, intent on drinking a cup of coffee before she left for the medical center. She was alarmed to find a six foot man in a mask leaning against her kitchen counter, mug raised and chatting with Rae, who was sitting at their small table. She stood watching the scene for a moment before she remembered the events of the night before.

“Good morning, Karma!” Rae said cheerfully.

Elisa nodded and dropped her backpack on the table before retrieving a mug and heading to the coffee pot. She poured her coffee, then added cream and five pounds of sugar. She glanced to her right where Corpse was standing, eyeing her dressing handiwork.

“I was thinking about what you told me last night, Rae.” She turned around to stare at her friend of nine years over the rim of her mug.

She smiled innocently. “I told you, some asshole just jumped out and caught us by surprise. That’s all.”

“The thing I’m having trouble understanding is why anyone would target the two of you if your employer wasn’t around. If your job is to be their bodyguard, and you weren’t on duty…” She raised her other hand, palm up. “What reason would that guy have for intercepting you?”

“She has a good point, Rae. Why would that be?” Corpse cocked his head and Rae sent him a death glare. He sipped loudly from his mug, unbothered.

“Karma, we had no idea why that guy came at us last night.” She shrugged and examined her coffee. “I think he was just trying to mug us or something. A couple of easy drunk targets, you know?”

“You actually expect me to believe that he looks like an easy target?” she asked, pointing to the masked man beside her. “Even if he was drunk, which he didn’t seem to be last night. Try again.”

She gasped in offence. “You don’t think I look like a difficult target to mug?”

Elisa smiled. “You’re unassuming. Of course, you look like an easy target.” She took another drink. “Alright, I’m done probing. Have fun doing what bodyguards do.” She pointed at Rae and said, “Don’t get stabbed.” Then she turned to Corpse. “Again.”

Elisa finished her coffee quickly and put the mug in the sink. She went back to her room to finish getting ready, and she fished the Tylenol from her medicine cabinet. She headed back to the kitchen and placed the medicine on the table for Corpse in case he wanted some before he left.

“Bye, Rae. See you in… probably tomorrow morning.”

“Whoever made residency shifts last 24 hours should be tried for war crimes,” she complained. “Have a good day, though.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

xx

Elisa paid the taxi and arrived at her apartment complex in Downtown LA. She tried the elevator, but of course it was out of order again. That meant trudging up five flights of stairs to her and Rae’s unit. She groaned.

She was already tired as hell, but at least her shift had only lasted 17 hours. It was around 2am now. Her next shift at the Reagan UCLA Medical Center wasn’t until 6pm. Maybe she and Rae would be able to game for a few hours. She felt bad that she had been unavailable lately, but Rae had reassured her that she was just as busy with her own job as of late.

Elisa wasn’t sure what the specifics of Rae’s job were. All she knew was that Rae was hired as a bodyguard and personal protector for some secret, highly influential, very rich person that she wasn’t allowed to name. Elisa didn’t badger her too much about it, she could respect her career. She didn’t want to jeopardize it, especially since the job paid so well. She was also glad Rae had finally found her niche three years ago after trying out so many jobs.

Originally, Elisa hadn’t been so laid back about her choice in profession. Rae had come home at least a dozen times ― probably more now that she thought about it ― with moderate or severe injuries that Elisa had had to treat for her. Which was very concerning considering Elisa had only moved in with her about a year ago. She had wondered where Rae had been getting treated while Elisa was still finishing up medical school.

Rae never wanted to go to the hospital. She couldn’t complain about the bills ― she had the money to pay them. She had joked that Elisa was getting real-world experience. But the only thing Elisa could come up with was that some of the injuries Rae had sustained in the past were bullet grazes or knife wounds. If she went to the hospital, a staff member would report it immediately, and she’d be detained by police every time she was hurt on the job. Elisa _supposed_ she could understand how that could be annoying. What she had trouble wrapping her mind around was _who_ could Rae be protecting from that many threats?

Her mind drifted to Corpse and the night before. The story about the supposed “mugger.” Elisa didn’t believe that for a second. That man targeted them for a reason. Elisa had promised not to investigate Rae’s job, but she was finding it harder and harder to let it go. Having such a busy work life herself helped keep her mind off the suspicious signs she kept picking up. But they niggled at the back of her mind all the same.

She heaved a breath as she reached her door and unlocked it. She flipped on the lights and called Rae’s name. She didn’t answer.

Elisa saw a note lying on the kitchen table.

_Hey K!_

_Got called in by the boss, I’m on duty for the next three days ughhh. Its going to be hectic. Text me when you see this so I know you got home okay. Love you :)_

_Rae <3 _

Elisa smiled halfheartedly. Maybe she was called in because of the incident yesterday. She didn’t linger on the thought, choosing instead to make something quick to eat and go to sleep.

xx

Elisa woke up to the sun blinding her through her bedroom window. She grumbled to herself as she got out of bed and checked the time. The clock read 12pm, so she had quite a few hours to spare before she had to leave for work.

She walked into the kitchen and started making chocolate chip waffles for lunch. After she finished, she took her food over to the couch. She was about to sit down until she remembered what happened on that couch. She inspected it for any bloodstains, but Rae must have cleaned it before she left. She sat down and started channel surfing.

She settled on some murder mystery that looked mildly interesting. It reminded her of her father. He used to like true crime stories and movies about the criminal world. One of his favorite games had been Clue. He was the best at deducing who was the killer. His mind was logical, able to compile clues and observe details, then fit them all together like pieces in a puzzle.

She hadn’t been too close with him growing up, but his power of deduction was one of three things that had always stuck with her. The second thing he had taught her was the importance of hard work. She needed to work hard so she never had to depend on anyone for anything.

She had worked hard her entire life. Graduated high school early, earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, graduated from medical school. She was into her second year of surgical residency and eventually she would get her license and finally become a full-fledged trauma surgeon. And nothing was going to stop her.

She finished eating and began cleaning up. She was straightening up the area when something caught her eye by the door. Elisa approached to inspect it.

She bent down and picked up the metallic card.

_The Comfy Cartel_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @stil_lindigo and @Sevvanto on twitter for creating comics and content for the Comfy Cartel, check it out if you haven’t seen it! They’re awesome and they helped inspire me to write this. [Comfy Cartel Comics](https://twitter.com/i/events/1336108404914307072?lang=en)
> 
> Also check out [Faking God](https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091486) by [marsisaplanet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsisaplanet/pseuds/marsisaplanet) if you’re looking for a Corpse/Sykkuno Comfy Cartel series, it’s amazing.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Comfy Cartel_

Elisa’s stomach twisted. Everyone who lived in LA knew the Comfy Cartel.

They were the up-and-coming mafia family in southern California. People said they had eyes and ears everywhere. They were cutthroat and ruthless towards anyone who opposed them or got in their way. If you were an inconvenience to them, you vanished.

So that begged the question: What the hell was their card doing in her apartment?

She pressed her palm to her forehead to stave off an onslaught of dizziness. She backed up to her couch and sat down before she collapsed. This was _bad._

She turned the card over in her hands. On the back, there was a sticky note attached with a message written in blocky letters.

_At the bottom of the lake_

_Where life grows and death withers_

_When the last ray of sunshine disappears_

_Be there in a stitch_

What the actual fuck.

Elisa reread the note three times. At first, she thought that maybe they had delivered the card to the wrong address. But as the words sunk in, she knew she couldn’t be that naïve to think this wasn’t meant for _her._ It couldn’t have been a coincidence that the last line used the word stitch. She _just_ stitched up that guy right on her couch two days ago.

The message was a riddle. Plain and simple. If she decoded the riddle, she would figure out what they wanted. She instinctually looked at the time. 2:23pm. She had until 5:30pm before she had to leave. If she started now, she might have it cracked before then.

Elisa stared at the front of the card again. Was she really about to get involved with the _mafia?_ The Comfy Cartel was dangerous. They were criminals. Which meant that if she didn’t do what they wanted, there was a very high probability that they would come after her. But what could they even want with someone like her? She was a nobody.

She looked at the message again. _At, Where, When, Be._ Those were indicators. A time and a place.

She knew they didn’t want her to meet them at the bottom of a lake. That was too literal. They had to be located near a lake, or maybe lake was in the name. She thought about areas downtown that had “lake” in the name and brought out her phone to look at maps of the area.

She deduced the _when_ pretty quickly. When sunlight disappeared, the sun set. They wanted her to meet them at sunset.

 _Where life grows and death withers._ That was more difficult. She figured it must have had something to do with plants. They grew and withered. The first places that came to mind were parks. But there were none that were associated with lakes, and there certainly weren’t any actual lakes in the area.

She scanned the districts in LA on her phone. She browsed different parks in Westlake South, because she figured that could metaphorically mean the bottom of a lake. However, she had a distinct gut feeling that she was following the wrong lead.

Elisa briefly thought about calling Rae and seeing what she thought about all this. But she didn’t know if the cartel was watching her or had her phone bugged. They could’ve been virtually anywhere, and she wouldn’t know it.

Elisa attempted another lead. She didn’t think a public park was the type of meeting place a cartel would resort to. She figured they liked dark alleys, crowded streets ― places they could blend into. That made more sense to her, anyway.

She began looking around the map of Silver Lake, and a specific road caught her eye ― Sunset Boulevard. There was the possibility that sunset implicated in the third line meant a time and place. All she had to do was find another sign.

If they wanted to meet in an isolated place, the cartel would probably have a few designated locations they met at often. Places where they wouldn’t be easily spotted. If they were blending into the streets, they might have her go to a shop. A plant shop, specifically.

Elisa searched for plant shops around Sunset Boulevard and, low and behold, a little shop called The Garden popped right up. There were pictures of the building and its sign, which spelled out the shop’s name and had a cute little leaf and stem logo. She felt a sense of déjà vu wash over as she inspected the logo. She had seen that leafy stem before.

She jumped off the couch as if an invisible string was pulling her in the direction she needed to go. She ran to Rae’s room and slammed the door open, scanning it for her plant. It was the only houseplant they had in the house.

She located the hanging plant by her window and strode towards it. The pot was new and unmarked but there was a little stationery card sticking out of the foliage. She plucked the card out and studied it.

The same logo was printed on the stationery.

The injuries, the money, the awfully crafted lies, and the mugger all began to make sense in that moment. Like she had finally figured out how to put the puzzle together with this single piece she had been missing.

Rae was part of the Comfy Cartel.

xx

Elisa opened the glass door and walked through as a bell chimed.

“Hello! I’ll be right with you!” A voice drifted out from near the center of the store, though she couldn’t see who it belonged to. A kind looking man wearing an apron came bustling from one of the aisles and placed two plants on a countertop. He turned in her direction and his eyes widened. “Oh! We weren’t expecting you until—oh, never mind, I’ll just let him know you’re early.” The man smiled and removed his gloves so he could operate his phone, thumbs tapping quickly against the screen.

Elisa glanced around the shop, appreciating the diverse array of plants. The scene was very innocuous, but Elisa knew what the Comfy Cartel was behind closed doors. In the year that she’d lived there, she heard the whispers. The things her coworkers at the hospital had told her were only speculation, but everything they mentioned was cruel and unsavory. She thumbed the strap of her backpack nervously.

Hearing the man gasp, she turned back towards him. “How rude of me, I’m Sykkuno! It’s nice to meet you!” He shed his apron and approached her.

She shook the hand he offered. “I’m Karma.”

“I know!” He locked the entrance to the shop.

Elisa tried to smile as her stomach dropped. She wished she had told someone where she was going, and who to blame if she disappeared. Though, she had a feeling she might see Rae wherever this man was about to take her. It made her both relieved and nauseated. She gave a nervous laugh, “Right.”

“I see you brought the card. May I?”

Elisa handed the card over and Sykkuno plucked it from her fingers. He strolled to a scan pad on the countertop and held the card over it. She almost gasped when a hidden door in the wall creaked open slightly. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t that.

Sykkuno handed the card back over and motioned for her to follow him. They walked through a dark corridor and came up on another door, which she followed him through. They entered a large room that did, admittedly, look pretty comfy. There was a large L-shaped couch with a table at the center, a large television screen, and a few armchairs and small tables littered about. On the couch, she immediately recognized the man she stitched up two nights prior, cleaning a disassembled gun.

Another man in a completely black smart suit and a fedora approached the two of them, instantly stealing her attention. “You arrived a bit earlier than we expected. I will say I’m surprised you solved my riddle so quickly.”

She waited a few seconds before she spoke. “It was fairly straightforward. I’m sorry for coming early, I know sunset is 6:30 but my shift starts at 6 and I can’t be late.”

Two new figures rounded the corner and entered the room. A gasp from behind the mafioso caused Elisa to redirect her gaze to a very familiar woman dressed in a very familiar red and white three piece.

Rae gaped at her. “Karma?”

“Surprise,” the woman next to her said.

Elisa held up the card for her as an explanation. “I recognized your plant, Rae.” She wished she was more surprised to see Rae standing there in a dangerous mafia’s hideout, but Elisa couldn’t say she was. She didn’t even look out of place. Elisa supposed the whole “bodyguard” facade wasn’t all that far from the truth. She just omitted all the evil, murderous, illegal details.

“As I was saying,” the man began, “I had assumed you might have... doubts about coming here. Understandably.”

“I do, but,” Elisa looked down and then met his eyes once more, “you don’t defy the cartel.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “No? You arrived despite your doubts; however, you _defied_ the appointment time.”

“I can’t lose my residency, that I’m sure you know all about.” Her fist clenched around her backpack strap. “It’s all I have.” Rae lifted her arms, motioning an indignant ‘What the hell?’ that Elisa could hear in her head. “Well, besides —“ She shook her head and clasped her hands together. “You mentioned the stitch. In the riddle.”

He nodded once with an amused countenance. “I did. Care to explain why?”

Elisa sighed. She was anxious and still had no idea why she was there. If they wanted to kill her, wouldn’t they have gotten it over with already? Unless they really enjoyed playing with their victims, she supposed.

“You know I stitched Corpse up. I still don’t understand why I’m here, though. I didn’t know anything before that card was slipped under my door. Rae didn’t tell me shit.”

“I want to hire you.”

Elisa balked at him. “Hire _me?_ I-I can’t kill people.”

The bastard chuckled. “That’s not what I want to hire you for.”

On the verge of hyperventilating, Elisa rubbed at her forehead and tried to make her lungs work properly.

“We need a doctor on retainer. The opposition is getting worse, and our men are bearing the brunt of it. We can’t keep making trips to the hospital — too many witnesses and doctors to pay off for silly gunshot and knife wounds. One of our grunts was messed up bad last month and some righteous nurse reported the incident to the LAPD —“ The man pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled audibly. “Long story short, it was not a good day.”

Eyebrows pinched, she watched the mafioso have a mini internal crisis. Even Sykkuno noticed and patted him on his pointy shoulder.

“Very sad to hear, but there’s one problem. I’m not an actual doctor.”

The man stared down at her. “You’re going to lie to my face?”

“Fuck.” She put her face in her hands and almost sobbed. “I’m not lying. I’m just a resident, not a doctor yet. I can’t get my license for another two years. And then I have three more years of residency after that.”

“You seem to know what you’re doing, judging the way you handled Corpse. And Rae, I believe, on multiple occasions.”

It was true, Rae had come home with varying degrees of injury that Elisa was more than compliant in patching up. She had even risked swiping supplies from the stores at UCLA to keep at the apartment for when she came home bloodied and bruised. God, she sounded like a housewife. It didn’t help that Elisa also loved to cook like one.

“I’m training to be a trauma surgeon, so I see that stuff every day, but I don’t have nearly enough experience to be practicing on people _alone,_ ” she insisted.

“I think I see the problem, Toast.” Sykkuno looked over at her and tilted his head. “She doesn’t believe in herself.”

“That’s —“ _fucking crazy_ “not true at all.” She scratched her forehead then rested a hand on her hip. “Even if I agreed that I had enough experience, I can’t quit my residency. If I don’t become a surgeon, my life will have literally been for nothing. At this point — I’d sooner die than give it up.” She stared dejectedly into the man’s dark sunglasses.

The man opened his jacket and whipped out a handgun, the barrel mere inches from her forehead. She was too shocked to move, and she held her breath, waiting for him to take the shot.

“I can arrange that.”

“Toast.” The woman standing behind him called his name, but he didn’t move.

Elisa stared into those stupid fucking sunglasses, waiting for — well, anything. The suspense was… killing her. _Jesus,_ that joke alone made her want to die. They just stood there, staring at each other for who knows how long — five minutes? An hour?

Finally, he spoke. “Usually they’re begging by now. Why isn’t she begging?” The man turned to look behind him as he lowered his gun, to Elisa’s marginal relief.

“I think she’s sort of — broken,” Rae said.

Elisa sighed. She was about to walk into a 16-hour shift at the medical center and she was already drained, goddamnit.

“I don’t usually do this,” he started as he holstered the gun, “but if you join us, I will obtain your license.” Elisa’s eyes widened. “In exchange for five years of your service, I will give you the certification and proof of your residency during that time. Of course, you will be receiving a generous salary in the meantime. For your trouble and your discretion.”

Five years. _Five years._ Elisa’s heart jumped into her throat. Agreeing meant selling five years of her life to the devil.

“One more thing, before you decide. Plata o plomo.”

 _Fuck._ Take the money, or the bullet?

She knew the deal sounded too good to be true. There had to be a catch. Well — they were a fucking _mafia_ — enough said. If she didn’t take this deal, they were going to shoot her dead. If she did take this deal, she would eventually obtain her certification, she’d definitely get _some sort_ of experience, and she’d be getting paid generously. She could pay off her student loans early.

 _God,_ selling her soul to the devil never sounded better.

The man — _Toast was it?_ — outstretched a black gloved hand. She grasped it and they shook twice.

“Looking forward to working for you. Sir,” she added as an afterthought.

“You know,” he inched even closer to her, smiling predatorily, “I think I’m going to like you.”


	3. Chapter 3

Corpse had woken up that morning from a restless slumber with the memory of green eyes and a dull pain in his side. 

Corpse didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone with green eyes before. Not alive, anyway. It was the first thing he noticed about the girl. Green eyes framed by dark eyelashes. 

He had been delirious with pain and didn’t remember much else besides his bleeding slash wound and her eyes as she concentrated on stitching his cut. She was fairly quick about it, and reacted timely considering she had just woken up. 

When she left, he had asked Rae if she trusted her. _Implicitly,_ she’d said. 

Rae told him more about personal aspects of her life than the others. She was sort of the big sister he’d never had. Their initial rivalry when he was first brought in had dissolved by the time he was made part of the Family, officially. He was glad it had, it would’ve made his work a lot harder. But he could honestly say he enjoyed her friendship. 

There were only a few times Rae had mentioned her roommate to him. He knew she worked at a hospital in the city, and she practically lived there. That was how Rae was able to keep her personal life and work separated. With her roommate gone most of the time, Rae could spin the story of her fake job without too much suspicion. 

At least, until now. Currently, he sat there watching the heated exchange between Toast and the woman — _Karma._ He watched as the Underboss threatened this ballsy girl with a gun between her eyes. 

She didn’t flinch, she didn’t cry — she didn’t do much of anything except look Toast dead in the eyes. That was the look of someone who had seen death, and wasn’t afraid.

The longer they stood there locked in the tense staring competition, the more confident he was that the girl would live to see another day. Toast fucking _hated_ pushovers with a passion. If you couldn’t handle yourself with a gun aimed between your eyes, you weren’t fit for the business. This girl definitely wasn’t a pushover. She actually looked _bored_. 

Finally, Toast lowered the gun as Corpse predicted. Luckily, she was smart enough to take the deal he offered. Well, the deal he forced her into. But obviously she wasn’t ready to die today if she could help it. 

“Rae, please show Ms. Karma around the compound,” Toast said, spinning on his heel. 

Rae glared at him. “You know, it’s Dr. Karma.”

Said doctor covered her reddening face with her hand. “Oh God, please don’t correct the mafia man.”

“Yes, Rae, you should listen to your _very_ smart friend here.”

Rae shrugged and crossed her arms, apparently intent on instigating today. “I call ‘em as I see ‘em. If you’re jealous because she’s smarter, that’s on you.”

Toast pursed his lips in annoyance. “I am not —“ He took a deep breath. “I will not let you bait me today. She is an _asset_. And don’t make me replace you.”

“Someone’s touchy today,” Poki chuckled with a smirk. 

“Perhaps you should keep your enforcer on a tighter leash.”

“But this is _so_ much more entertaining. That is why I agreed to your little plan, after all.” Poki tilted her head with a coy smile. 

“Don’t let me get in your way, have at it.” Toast walked out of the parlor in the direction of the boss’s office and disappeared into the room. 

Rae strode towards Karma and hugged her tightly. Corpse knew they first met in college, which meant they had known each other for a long time. 

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” Rae apologized. 

“Actually, I was hoping I’d see you here. I figured out this riddle to find the shop, and I recognized the logo.” She pulled a small, folded paper from her pocket. 

“Where did you see the logo?”

“The plant in your room has a stationery in it.”

“You still have the hanging succulent I gave you?” Sykkuno asked in surprise. 

“Of course I do!” Rae affirmed. 

Sykkuno breathed a laugh and scratched the back of his head. “If I’m honest, I-I wasn’t sure if you would be able to keep it alive very long.” 

Rae looked affronted. “I do _not_ kill everything I touch!” Corpse snickered silently. 

“Of course not! I’m proud of you, Rae.” He smiled, then frowned. “I gave that to you a while ago.”

Rae seemed to understand what he was alluding to. “How did you know he gave me that plant, K?”

She cocked her head. “I told you — the logo was the same.”

“But you found it so quickly.”

“It wasn’t that hard, it’s the only plant in the house.” Karma turned to Sykkuno and said, “She’s really not that good with houseplants, that succulent practically takes care of itself.” 

Sykkuno laughed softly behind his hand as Karma smiled. Rae went to punch her in the arm, but she batted it away speedily. 

Poki held out her hand. “Can I see that note?” She took it from Karma and scanned it over. “I swear to God, Toast needs to stop with the damned riddles.” She pulled out a lighter and flicked it on, setting fire to the note, and let it fall into the small trash can nearby. “I was just going to take you while you were sleeping, but Toast likes playing games. I think he’s compensating for something else, but that’s just me.”

Karma’s eyebrows shot up. 

“You were going to kidnap her behind my back?” Rae asked, accompanied by an eye twitch. “I could’ve just brought her in!”

“It was a surprise. You love surprises,” Poki said. 

“Sure, get me a dog if you want to surprise me. But no, you want to kidnap and threaten my best friend.” 

Poki waved a dismissive hand at her, still grinning like a maniac. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. I just made your life a whole lot easier, the least you could do is say thank you.”

Rae grinded her jaw. “Thanks,” she gritted out. 

“As for you,” Poki turned to regard Karma, “you seem to have a death wish. Why didn’t you just hightail it to a different country?”

That piqued Corpse’s curiosity. Personally, he was glad she didn’t run. If she had, he knew without a doubt he would’ve been sent to track her down and haul her back to the compound by force. That just seemed like a lot of unnecessary work. 

Karma crossed her arms and looked down for a minute. “That’s a lot of effort just to end up in the same place. Better just to get it over with quickly.” She tucked a strip of hair behind her ear. “And I was, um, intrigued. Things like this don’t usually happen to me, as you can imagine.” She turned to Rae, an unreadable expression on her face. “I still can’t believe _this_ is your job.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I had to.”

“I see that. Really, I’m not mad. You’ve always been kind of bloodthirsty. Guess you just took it a little farther than I expected.”

“Still, I — wait. You think I’m _bloodthirsty?_ ”

“I mean, she’s not wrong,” Sykkuno shrugged. 

It was true, Rae was a maniac in the field. He’d seen it with his own eyes, all the creative ways she could kill someone when they weren’t pressed for time. She was one of the best in their line of work. She was unsuspecting, like Karma had said that morning in her kitchen. Rae could fly under the radar, pull off a hit, and walk away without anyone looking at her twice. He figured that’s why Poki snapped her up. 

She could fight like an animal, too. Rae knew some martial art that came in handy for when the fight came to blows. That’s how she had defended them from the man who had attacked outside the bar the other night. They were getting a drink after a successful mission, and when they went to leave, a known associate of the men they had killed tracked them down and tried to get the jump on them. The bastard had horribly underestimated his targets. 

Corpse cursed himself again for not having his vest on, as it would’ve shielded him from the knife. That’s specifically why Don Scarra ordered Michael and Bretman to design their vests with graphene, to keep shit like that from happening. _Fucking idiot..._

xx

“Well, I had better give you the tour before Toast has a stroke.” Rae sent her a wry smile. “But first, this is Poki, I work under her. Sykkuno is the Gardener. You know Corpse.”

Corpse briefly glanced up from the disassembled gun he was hovering over.

“Right,” Elisa said. She remembered well. Her eyes scanned over the masked man and she was glad to note he looked alright. She wasn’t too sure why she cared for his wellbeing, having just met him. Though their first meeting was very similar to how she encountered most of her patients in the trauma ward, and she supposed he was one of her patients now. Regardless of what he’d done to earn that slash in his side. 

“Toast is the Underboss, you’ll likely be working under him.” Rae led her away from the comfy room deeper into the compound. “That’s an office,” she pointed to one of the doors lined up on the left. “Don’t go in there, or there.” She turned to the right at the end of the hall. “This is our new and improved Med Bay. Not everything is here yet, but Toast is getting it stocked.”

Elisa stepped through the double doors and stopped in her tracks. The room was lit up with white fluorescents, there was an x-ray and two operating tables, and sections of the walls were lined with cabinets and counters. She had expected some dingy room with minimal lighting and cramped spaces, not an actual ER.

She pushed open a side door and saw what looked like a small storage room. Another set of double doors led to a room with three hospital beds. She stepped inside and there was even a small restroom.

“This place is huge,” Elisa said, walking back to Rae. 

“Don Scarra is a smart man. He redeveloped this dead shopping strip and turned the front of this one into the plant store. He owns the warehouse next door as well as some of the businesses down the line.”

“Really?”

“Yep. We can go out through there.” She pointed to the far end of the room extension and opened the door. “The Tech Lab is pretty cool, I’ll take you over there if Michael’s around. I haven’t seen him yet today, so there’s a fifty-fifty shot he spent the entire day in there or he’s sleeping.”

“What about Michael?” A woman with plum toned hair and a lotus flower in her hat approached them with an adorable fluffy white dog in her arms. 

“I was just telling Karma about the Lab. Karma, this is Lily. She runs the nonprofit,” Rae explained. 

“Oh, Heart of LA, right?” Elisa asked her. She suddenly recognized Lily as the face of the organization from a few commercials on TV. An innocent woman with a heart of gold… or so she thought. 

Lily nodded and beamed. “That’s the one!”

_ Oh. _ Elisa had no idea the popular nonprofit and the Comfy Cartel were associated. They were even more powerful than she predicted. And much larger than she imagined. 

“So, you’re the Doctor that Toast has been bragging about. I heard you graduated top of your class and everything. That’s really impressive, Karma,” she complimented. 

Elisa put a hand on her cheek as she blushed. “Oh, thank you. I didn’t have much of a life, so I guess that made it pretty easy to focus.”

“Even so, you seem to be a very hard worker. I hope you found our medical facilities suitable. We should be fully operational within a week, and you’ll be able to request anything you might need ― within reason, of course.”

“About that, am I the only doctor you’re recruiting?”

“Yes, but you won’t be alone,” she assured. “Our medic stand-in that’s been handling small injuries and such will be your assistant. His name is Brodin, he’s actually with Michael right now in the Lab.” 

This did nothing to ease Elisa’s anxiety. So far, she’s been supervised during most of her procedures. The only exceptions were the calls she had to make by herself when the trauma ward was flooded, and the few times she was left to complete procedures alone with her supervisor simply checking in on her work at the end. However, even in those cases, she had backup when need be. Here, she was the most experienced medical professional in the building. That in itself was daunting. 

“Rae, could you grab them for me? They won’t be able to hear their phones over all the racket they’re making. I mean, why even have a phone if you’re not going to answer it?” she ended with a passive aggressive smile. 

“Sure. I’ll be back, Karma,” Rae said, following the main hall back to the comfy room. 

“Let’s sit in the kitchen while we wait,” Lily offered, turning in the opposite direction of Rae’s departure.

Elisa felt a tad on edge without Rae. She didn’t think Lily was very threatening, but she didn’t _know_ these people. Hell, Poki just casually talked about having her _kidnapped._ She slowly sat in the chair next to the head of the table, where Lily had taken a seat. The kitchen was large and appeared to be generously equipped. 

“Tell me about yourself, Karma.”

Elisa watched Lily pet one of the cutest dogs she’d ever seen as she answered. “I’m a second-year resident at UCLA, I moved here about a year ago ―”

“No, no. We know all that,” she waved a hand in the air. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Elisa thought to herself, not knowing what to say. She decided not to overthink it too much. “I like horror movies, I know some Spanish, and… I wish I had more free time.”

“Good. I can’t imagine how busy you must be. Resident shifts average how many hours?”

“16, but usually longer.”

“You must love surgery. I don’t know how anyone could handle working that many hours at a time!”

_ Love. _ Elisa couldn’t recall ever loving her job. It was just something she did to sustain herself. She liked helping people, but the career was draining. It was something she was good at, but she often wished she had the time to have fun with Rae or maintain a stable relationship. Even to pursue other interests ― if she had any. 

But the guilt always shut those kinds of thoughts down. She entered the medical field to honor her mother. She had a well-paying job, and she shouldn’t be complaining. Elisa saved lives, and that was good enough. But now, she was going to be saving the lives of criminals. One of which was her best friend. Elisa’s moral compass was going haywire, and she tried to get a handle on herself before she had a mental breakdown. 

“It’s tough, but I get through it.”

“Well, now you’ll have lots of free time to enjoy yourself. I think you need a break from those day-long shifts.”

“How often _am_ I going to be working here?”

“Oh! You will be on call, so whenever we need you! We have accommodations just downstairs, and you’ll be able to stay in one for convenience.” Lily’s eyes lifted and she stood, placing the white dog on Karma’s lap as she greeted whoever was behind her. 

Karma rubbed the dog’s soft fur as he settled in her lap, and she turned to see Lily hugging a man slightly taller than her. An extremely tall, lanky man with longer hair and Rae circled around the table to sit across from her. 

“Hi, I’m Brodin.” He stretched out a hand for her to take, and she leaned over to shake it. 

Rae leaned in with a hand cupping her mouth. “Don’t mention his height, he’s sensitive.”

Brodin rolled his eyes and snorted. “ _I’m sensitive?_ That’s rich coming from you.”

Elisa chuckled. “I’m Karma. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I am a second-year resident, not Jesus. I can’t heal people with the bible or walk on water. I don’t even have a license.”

Brodin laughed as well as someone behind her. A new face popped into her field of vision ― the man she assumed to be Michael ― and took a seat where Lily had been previously. Lily took the dog from her lap and stood next to Michael. 

“That’s alright, Jesus isn’t real, and anyone can walk on water with enough cornstarch,” Michael said matter-of-factly. “The important thing is you spent like, a decade learning how to sew people up and whatever hemorrhaging is, so you’re going to be great!”

Elisa smiled dubiously and responded with a weak, “Yeah.”

“And Brodin is really good at Googling how to fix different injuries,” Lily nodded. 

“My medical degree came from WikiHow, so take that as you will,” Brodin said. 

Elisa donned a tight grin, failing to conceal her alarm. “Great,” her voice cracked. 

“Don’t be nervous, everything’s going to be fine! You’re a great doctor, who needs a license? Right?” Rae asked, sitting back with a slanted smile.

“Doctors,” Elisa answered. “Doctors need licenses.”

“Don’t worry about it, the soldiers don’t come in with life threatening injuries. Usually,” Michael amended. Then he leaned towards her with a dark look on his face. “But if anyone dies under your watch, you know what that means.” He menacingly dragged his thumb across his neck and Elisa swallowed against the lump in her throat. 

Lily put a hand on his shoulder and forced him back against the chair. “He’s kidding,” she said, shaking her head. 

Michael laughed, then stopped suddenly. “Unless?”

Lily slapped his shoulder. “Stop it!”

“Okay, buddy.” He smiled up at her and held her hand. 

Lily plopped her dog down on the ground and he trotted away. “Give your phone to Michael, and he’ll install the security software you’ll need. Then you can come with me and I’ll show you to your room,” she said cheerfully. 

Elisa didn’t see any point in arguing, and it wasn’t like she had top secret information on her cell anyway, so she handed the device over and followed Lily down the staircase to the accommodations. 

“Your dog is really cute,” Elisa said. 

Lily beamed at her. “Thank you! His name is Temmie and he is the sweetest boy you’ll ever meet.” She stopped outside a door at the end of the dim hall. “This one is yours. You’ll be able to move in tomorrow, and then you can get started! If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask anyone here at the compound. 

“I should run over a few things before you leave. You aren’t allowed to tell anyone about us or our locations, don’t post to social media ― Michael will erase your online footprint after he’s finished with the mods, and never deal with law enforcement. If you have any issues whatsoever, call one of us or the number on the back of your card. Michael is programming all of our contacts into your phone as we speak, that will be our main method of communication. Always have your phone on you, we could call you at any time since you will be on call. And don’t lose your card, it will grant you access to The Garden and the compound. I think that’s about it! Do you have any questions?”

_ How did my life lead to this? _

“So I’m going to be living here from now on? Am I allowed to leave?”

She chuckled. “I think it will be much more convenient for you to live on site, but you are welcome to return to your apartment when you aren’t needed here. And of course you’re allowed to leave! Just be sure to check in and out with Sykkuno, he’s volunteered to be your handler while you get settled in. Both of you are under Capo Toast, so you’ll be reporting to them directly.”

“I’m sorry ― Capo?”

Lily waved her hand and sighed. “Mafia jargon, Toast insisted on using it ― you’ll catch on soon enough. You’re a very smart woman, Karma. I trust you will fulfill your contractual obligations to the Comfy Cartel. Because I think you know what will happen if you don’t.”

Elisa nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

Lily visibly brightened up. “Good! I think Toast did well picking you. New blood really livens things up, don’t you agree?”

“It certainly does.” That, she could agree on. Elisa had never been uncertain of her future. She had planned years ahead, down to a T. Now, she couldn’t even see what the next day would bring. And despite her fear and spiraling morals, even she could admit that she had never felt more alive. 


	4. Chapter 4

Elisa dragged her bags to her and Rae’s shared living room with a grunt. She was glad she had the mind to pack the night before, after they arrived back at the apartment. There was a _bang_ that came from Rae’s room, followed by a screech. Apparently Rae hadn’t been so prepared. 

Elisa was still in a state of disbelief. The day before almost felt like a fever dream. She still couldn’t fathom how the most powerful cartel in the state chose her to work for them. Even the idea that Rae was an actual hitman seemed more believable. But she never would have pictured herself joining a band of criminals in a million years. 

She was still conflicted over her own feelings about the situation. She had taken the bribe to avoid getting shot in the face, but she had gone to them willingly. Yes, she did believe they would have tracked her down if they were hell bent about bringing her into the fold. The thing that bothered her the most was that she didn’t even try. She had been excited as she decoded the riddle. Nervous almost to the point of passing out, but excited. And when she was held at gunpoint, there was fear and surprise and a sense of danger she had never experienced before. 

If she were stupid, she would go to the police. But Elisa was certain they had cops on their payroll, and if they sent back news of her betrayal, she was a dead woman walking. Really, they were only asking for her skills. She wasn’t doing anything _directly_ illegal, besides aiding and abetting probably. Anyone associated with the LA underworld was surely liable for a hefty prison sentence. And Elisa really, really didn’t want to go to prison.

She also valued her life somewhat and didn’t want to be tortured by cruel mafiosi. She was smart enough to know she had a better chance of sticking with the Comfy Cartel than risking her neck trying to bring them to justice. Even if there was some sort of hostile takedown, she hoped any cop could take a look at her spotless record and believe her when she explained how she was forced to comply by gunpoint. 

The other main reason she couldn’t bring herself to go to the authorities was because she would be incriminating Rae. This was the lifestyle she chose three years ago, as Elisa learned the night before when Rae explained how she ended up working for them. 

Rae had been job searching as soon as she moved to LA, and saw the Chinese takeout place she ordered from one day advertising “help wanted.” As it turned out, it was one of the Don’s businesses. It was only supposed to be temporary to pay the bills on the apartment while she looked for a better job. But she saw Sykkuno handling some shady transactions ― bets for the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament that year which was extremely popular and insanely illegal. She wanted to bet ― having a gambling addiction and all ― and Sykkuno told her some insider information that immediately piqued her interest. They hit it off quickly, and she wanted in on the action behind the scenes. 

Elisa knew Rae loved her job, even if she hadn’t been clear on all the details. She really didn’t want to ruin that for Rae, or get her sent to prison for ― well ― murder. Elisa would never betray her best friend, ever. No bribe, not even a gun between her eyes would convince her. Rae was the only person in the world Elisa loved. She did care for Rae’s mother very much, but Rae had been with her since she was 18, and they always had each other’s backs. Even while Rae traveled and Elisa had been struggling through medical school, they talked almost every day and spent holidays together every year. Rae was her family, and Elisa wasn’t willing to give that up.

Said brunette came bustling down the hall, two bags packed, and the succulent held precariously by one arm. Elisa moved forward to grab it before the poor plant exploded on their carpet. 

“Oh, you’re already here,” Rae smiled. 

Elisa returned the smile as she double checked her bags to make sure she had everything she needed. “Are you still going to come back here? When you aren’t needed at the compound?”

“Hell no. This is perfect because I really only came back here to spend time with you.”

“Oh.” 

“No, no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I’m glad that you can finally meet my friends! And I don’t have to lie to you anymore.”

“Yeah, you weren’t very good at it,” Elisa snorted. 

She rolled her eyes. “Shut up. You didn’t find out.”

Elisa laughed as she pulled out the metallic Comfy Cartel key card. “Didn’t take much.” She flipped it to the back and saw their signature lotus flower engraved into it. She remembered seeing the flower décor on many of the walls of the compound and recognized it as the flower in Lily’s hat. After a few seconds, she also remembered seeing that flower somewhere else. “I should’ve known as soon as I saw this card.”

Rae looked at her with eyebrows pinched, head titled in a silent question. Elisa held up the card, so the flower was facing her. 

“This is your tattoo.”

Rae subconsciously touched the inside of her right elbow, but the tattoo was obscured by her long sleeve shirt. “Yeah, it is.” She looked down at her hands, as she sat there on the floor. “I’m really sorry, Elisa.”

“I told you, you don’t ―”

“No, Elisa. You don’t understand. I never wanted to lie to you. When I came here, I was struggling, you know that. And when Sy brought me in… I hardly knew what I was getting myself into. I was alone out here, and Scarra gave me a chance to be a part of something bigger than myself, you know? That’s what he does, he helps people struggling on the streets and gives them a chance when no one else will. What was I going to do with an associate’s?” She paused. “I never had a set path growing up, like you did. I was never good at any one thing, and I couldn’t travel forever. At first, I was in this for the money, but it became more than that for me. I-I care about them.” She took a wavering breath. “Which is why I had to keep you and them separate. I didn’t know how you would react if you found out the truth. I thought you might ― you might,” she wiped at her eye. 

Elisa jumped up and landed next to Rae, hugging her tightly. “Don’t cry or you’re going to make me cry,” she chuckled. 

She released a breath. “I don’t know what I thought, but I didn’t think you’d just be _fine_ with everything. And then when Toast whipped out his gun on you,” she shook her head and balled her fists. “God, I wanted to drop kick him so badly, that fucking _asshole._ I know he wasn’t going to shoot you right there in front of me, but sometimes he gets on my nerves with his stupid riddles and his fucking jokes.”

“I’ll admit, that did throw me for a loop. But, Rae, you are so important to me. I don’t think you could do anything to make me hate you.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “I didn’t want this for you, though. And I know you tell me you’re fine and not to worry, but I am worried. I love that you finally know the truth, but I hate that your life has been turned upside down,” she sniffed. 

“It’s not _all_ bad. I’m still getting my license by the end of it, and I’m still getting experience. I can pay off my debt with the extra cash, and now I can exist outside of the hospital and do… whatever people with free time do. Who are also in the mafia.”

She wiped away another tear, trying to smile. “Yeah. You can get actual sleep now.” She took another breath, calmer now. “The Family… we’re all close. I never really talked about you, in an effort to keep you away from all that, but a few of them already seem to like you. I think as long as you keep your head down and follow my lead, you won’t have any problems. They really aren’t as scary as you think. Just follow the rules and do your best to patch them up. You’ve always been great with me, I have no doubt in your abilities, Elisa.”

She sent Rae a nervous glance, biting her lip. “If someone dies under my care… do you really think they’ll kill me?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t think they will.”

“Think?” Elisa’s eyes widened.

“No, they won’t. Probably.”

Elisa slapped her shoulder and stood as Rae smiled playfully. “Alright, you suck.”

“If they try to do anything to you, they’re going to have to go through me. And I will pull any and all favors to protect you. But they do know how important you are to me, so I know they won’t try to hurt you. Just don’t go to the police or tell anyone about the cartel ― they’ll see it as betrayal. They don’t tolerate betrayal.”

Elisa nodded in understanding. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

xx

The Garden was closed, but Sykkuno unlocked the door and held it open for them as they hauled their bags through. Elisa was slightly exhilarated by the fact she was moving to a new place, albeit the new responsibility weighing on her shoulders gave her just as much apprehension. 

Sykkuno followed them to the hidden entrance, and Rae scanned her card to allow them access. The three of them made their way through the dark hall and passed the threshold into the comfy room. There was a man dressed in a dark suit with a single curl resting on his forehead and a pair of glasses adorning his face standing in the center, chatting with Toast. 

“Don Scarra,” Rae greeted as the men turned towards them. “How are you, sir?”

“Well, thank you, Rae,” he said with a slight nod. He looked over at a man and woman standing off to the side with their arms crossed behind their backs. “Take their bags to their accommodations,” he commanded. They bowed their heads and quickly took their bags and Rae’s succulent before disappearing. Don Scarra walked forward and stopped right before them. “This must be Karma.”

“Yes, sir,” Elisa answered, following Rae’s lead like she suggested. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hear you are a very skilled surgeon.”

“Thank you, and the pleasure is all mine.” Elisa automatically went into public service mode, treating him like she would a Department Head at the hospital. “I’m only a second-year resident, but this is my life’s work.”

“Yes, Capo Toast has told me. For that reason, I’ve made an arrangement for you to continue with your residency on the first of every month for one week. I believe in learning from experience, and you should continue to benefit from the program you earned a place in.”

Elisa was surprised, but thankful that at least someone recognized how important the program was to her. “T-Thank you, Don Scarra.”

He nodded and smiled. “I hope you enjoy your stay with us. Please, don’t hesitate to ask anyone here should you need anything.” He began walking away in the direction of his office. “And good luck, Doctor.” With that, he disappeared behind the door a few moments later. 

Elisa blinked after him. The man did seem intimidating when he ordered those people to take her and Rae’s luggage, although he didn’t appear as menacing as she had predicted he would be. Toast approached them next, and she turned back to him. 

“Welcome back, Karma, Rae. I assume you’ll be on full time now?” he asked Rae. 

“I’ll be here full time, yeah. Not sure if I’ll increase my workload or not. The freelance stuff, that is.” She studied her nails as she spoke. 

“Very well.” He shifted to look at Elisa, though she couldn’t be sure as his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses again. “We have a busy day ahead, Karma. Let’s get going, I have a car waiting for us out front.” He sidestepped her to head into the transition hall, back towards the plant shop. 

Rae rolled her eyes behind his back and shook her head, lips pursed. “You’re doing good so far. Good luck, Karma. I’ll see you when you get back.” Rae squeezed her shoulder and sent her a small smile. 

“Alright. Thanks, Rae.” Elisa followed after Toast, praying to whoever would listen that she didn’t fuck up whatever he had planned. 

xx

Elisa stepped out of the black car and shut the door. She followed Toast into a hair salon called FU$CUTZ, who’s curb they stopped outside of. She had never been here before; usually when she needed a trim, she let Rae have at it. 

The interior was very bright and stylish with purple accents. In the waiting area to their left sat a plush couch and a couple chairs. They passed the check in desk and headed straight into the main styling area. There weren’t a ton of people there due to appointment only restrictions still in place from the COVID pandemic, which was finally winding down with the vaccines being distributed. She supposed that the no walk-in’s rule didn’t apply to mafiosi though. 

“Alex,” Toast boomed. “How’s it going, buddy?”

Said man turned at the sound of Toast’s voice. “Fine, fine. Leslie didn’t tell me you were coming in today.”

“I just decided to pop in. Check up on you guys.”

An energetic woman with long, dark hair popped out from the back and rushed towards them. “Hi, Toast! Who’s this?”

“This is Karma,” he introduced. “She’s a friend of mine, and our new doctor. We came for supplies.”

“Oh, I see, I see,” she nodded, wringing her hands together. “Please, come have a seat in the back. Actually ― your hair is getting a bit long, Toast. How about a trim before we get down to it?” Elisa didn’t know how she could tell what Toast’s hair looked like under the fedora, but she didn’t question it. 

He winced behind his sunglasses. “Well, I suppose I am already here,” he drawled. 

The woman smiled and clasped her hands together. “Great!” Then she turned to scan Elisa up and down. “Wow, you have some long hair, Doc. It looks like you’ve got some split ends that could be chopped off. How about I take care of that for you?”

“Oh, you don’t need to ―”

“Yes, sounds great, Leslie,” Toast interrupted, placing a hand on Elisa’s shoulder. Leslie cheered and turned to rummage through her supplies while Toast leaned down and spoke lowly in her ear. “It's just better to say yes, you aren’t leaving without those scissors touching your hair.”

“Right,” Elisa said, and sat in the seat Leslie directed her to. 

The bouncy stylist disappeared in the back again for a few moments before returning and slipping a paper into her hands. Elisa scanned the document and recognized the names of some medical equipment. She was also handed a pen. 

“I need you to write down anything you don’t see on that list you might need,” Toast said from the seat next to her. “Equipment, drugs, whatever you need to do your job. What you see there is everything in the medical facility as of now.”

Elisa scrutinized the list thoroughly, and racked her brain trying to remember everything they used in the medical center. With the pandemic sending an influx of COVID patients last year as well as all the other traumatic injuries she had seen, she felt like she had more experience in other expertise at the hospital than current trauma surgeons had during their residencies. Surviving the medical program during the hellish epidemic was a victory in itself. 

Elisa scribbled down anything and everything that came to her mind as Leslie trimmed Toast’s black hair. Ventilators, saline, IV kits, sutures, anesthesia, sedatives, catheters… the list went on. She listed the drugs she knew for pain management and antibiotics for wound infection. There was personal safety to think about, and she word vomited on the page as the thoughts materialized in her head. She barely registered Leslie moving behind her, snipping as she pleased. 

“Alright! You’re all finished,” Leslie announced proudly. 

“Me too,” Elisa said, passing the sheet to Toast. Elisa turned back to look at herself in the mirror, fluffy ash brown hair falling quite a few inches shorter than when she entered the salon. “Oh, that’s a lot.”

“Is it alright? The ends were pretty damaged so everything that’s left is natural and healthy!”

“Yeah, it looks good. Thank you, Leslie,” Elisa smiled at her in the reflection of the mirror and Leslie squealed. 

“Your hair really is gorgeous, come back any time you want so I can play with it some more! The only other person I know with this much hair is Rachel, but she won’t come back after the last time,” she muttered, crossing her arms. 

Elisa swiveled her seat, attention caught. “Please, do tell.”

“Well, she said she wanted a trim, but she didn’t _specify_ how much to take off, so I took off a couple inches and she practically bit my head off over it!”

Elisa chuckled behind her hand. Rae had hair PTSD from an impulsive bowl cut she desperately wanted to erase from her memory. “That sounds like her, she avoids scissors like the plague. I’m surprised she stepped in here willingly.”

“Eh. Willingly, not willingly. If you come inside, I’m taking hair,” she said plainly. 

Elisa snorted. “Right. So how much do I owe you?”

Leslie looked down at Toast, who in turn, looked up at her. Then they broke into fits of laughter. 

“You have a lot to learn, girlie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to post longer chapters, but sometimes the scenes end so naturally! Thank you for reading <3


	5. Chapter 5

Walking out of his room, Corpse was startled when he almost ran into a certain long-haired brunette. He noticed Rae was wearing casual clothing, so she probably wasn’t here for a job.

“Hiya, Corpse. Get any sleep?”

“Some. What are you doing down here?”

Rae put her hand on her chest and narrowed her eyes. “What, I can’t visit my favorite insomniac from time to time?” She smiled and took a few steps backwards, leaning on the door to the accommodation she must have just exited. “This is my room now.”

Corpse’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re going to be here full time?”

“I don’t have to go back to the apartment anymore, so, why not?” she shrugged.

A grunt shut the door to the accommodation across from his on their right, and he moved back to allow him to pass. That meant someone was going to be staying across from him, and he couldn’t think of any guests they were scheduled to be hosting at the compound. Then he remembered their newest asset.

“Want to take a wild guess at who’s staying in that one?” Rae asked, thumb pointed to the room on the left of hers.

“The Doctor.” He cleared his throat and leaned against the wall. “How do you think she’ll do here?”

Rae looked extremely confident in the dim light of the hall, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. “I think she’ll do just fine. She’s very… adaptive. She survived the hospital during a pandemic, I’m sure she can handle this.”

“Those are two very different experiences, Rae. I know she’s your friend but…” he trailed off, not really knowing how to finish. Even if Karma was good at her job, that didn’t mean she would be able to thrive in the underworld. Then again, he figured she wouldn’t see much action here, just patching bullet grazes and bloody noses. When he thought of it like that, he realized this would probably be a lot tamer than whatever she’d dealt with in the past.

“Karma’s a badass, and I’d know because it takes one to know one.” Corpse snorted, which made her glare halfheartedly at him. “I have entrusted my life in her hands multiple times, and she’s never let me down. I don’t need to worry about her loyalty because she would never betray me.” Corpse was about to interrupt, to tell her that loyalty to her and the cartel were _not_ the same thing, but she continued on. “And she already told me it’s not in her interest to go blabbing off to the cops since she’s getting a lot out of this deal.”

Corpse chewed on that piece for a minute. “Why was she willing to die just to keep her job then?”

“It’s not about the job, Corpse. It’s about the license. That’s what she’s always wanted.” Rae scratched her chin and sighed, eyes downcast. “She won’t admit it, but she hates the residency. Karma has this thing about working, like that’s all there is to life. That’s how I got away with everything for so long. Not that she’s a bad friend, she was always just ― gone.” Rae looked back up at him, chewing on her lip. “I think that she needed this. Something different.”

Something about the look in her eye made Corpse’s brain jump into overdrive. “Did you do this?”

Rae shook her head. “No. Poki asked me what she did for a living, and I told her. But when I figured out they were planning on bringing someone in, I never imagined they would choose _her._ ” Rae dropped her head back against the wall with a _thunk._ “I could’ve gotten her away from here, just in case. I should’ve known, you know. Why else would Poki ask about her?”

Corpse shrugged. “It’s done now.”

“Yeah,” she exhaled. “My biggest fear was that she would hate me, freak out, and then,” she raised a finger gun and pulled the trigger. Corpse winced under the mask. “But now that the band-aid is ripped off, I’m starting to wonder if this is such a bad thing. Karma doesn’t seem to think so as of this morning.”

“She hasn’t seen anything yet. But, if she stays in Med Bay and isn’t involved in the other shit, I guess she’ll be fine. You’ll have to make sure she’s ready for the Don, he’ll probably want to meet her.” He didn’t think it would be a big deal, considering the way Karma faced off with Toast. Even so, Toast could be overdramatic. Scarra disguised his brain and intentions behind a friendly smile. Corpse thought that was more dangerous in the long run.

“She already met with him this morning. It was brief, but she handled it well. I’m honestly starting to think I underestimated her,” Rae said.

Corpse hummed in agreement. “Maybe.” Dull pain throbbed in his side when he breathed in a little too far, and his hand came to his right side.

“I’m so sorry, Corpse, I didn’t even ask how you were doing!”

“It’s fine, Rae. I’m good.” He really was. The slice had started to heal up nicely and the stitches were way better than his own sloppy work and Brodin’s inexperienced hand. He was taking minimal pain meds and he figured he’d be back to work in a week. Corpse did enjoy the benefits that the cartel had to offer, like the recovery time and light duty. And now their soon-to-be free healthcare.

“I’ll take your word for it. At least you aren’t doing anything too taxing.”

He nodded in agreement. While he was healing, Sykkuno had enlisted him as extra help around The Garden. When he wasn’t manning the register and moving plants around, he was walking around a park downtown feeding the stray cats that came around. He enjoyed spending his time there, gave him a chance to clear his head. He was also putting effort into gaining the trust of the strays. As far as he could tell, they only came to him willingly.

Corpse didn’t _not_ like living at the compound. He liked the rest of the Family, he wouldn’t be there if he didn’t. It was overwhelming at times, but he generally enjoyed seeing what the others were up to when they were off the books. It was convenient to live in the same place he took orders from, and it was definitely better than his shitty apartment downtown. He only kept it for emergencies and an address. And now Rae would be here more often, which was nice. So would Karma.

“Too bad. I’ll be out of commission as your practice dummy for awhile,” Corpse said with a hidden grin.

Rae liked to “spar” with him, which really translated into her kicking his ass while she showed him the new moves she picked up during the week. He was usually fine with it, he liked a good workout to release the stress he built up and now that Rae was going to be here more often, he figured he’d be dragged into sessions with her more often. After he was up to par again at least.

She chuckled and grinned back at him. “That’s alright, my usual training partner just moved in. In fact, she’s the one that got me started on Muay Thai. Now I can tell her how much it’s come in handy for me.”

Corpse’s eyes widened as he registered who she was talking about. If Karma could fight like Rae… anyone who tried to get one over on them was _fucked._ He wondered if he would get to see her throwing elbows and knees like Rae could. He definitely wanted to.

He was only partially surprised that Karma knew Muay Thai. Though it just confirmed what he already knew: the unassuming ones are the most dangerous. They’re the ones you least expect.

xx

Elisa stared at the haphazardly arranged supplies littering the counters of Med Bay. She wanted to organize the supply they already had before all the new items Leslie ordered arrived. She had spent a couple hours going over exact models and every detail of her list with the hair stylist to make sure the correct machinery and supplies were delivered.

As for the medication, apparently that was to be ordered over the dark web or the black market ― however coveted drugs were obtained these days. Elisa had spent time finalizing that list for someone named Jack. She wasn’t sure when she would meet him yet.

A grunt walking through the door caught her attention, possessing the label maker she had requested. She took the device from the woman, who promptly left, and continued sorting through the medical supplies. There was machinery beeping behind her as Brodin was learning how to operate the x-ray. 

She was glad she would have some help, even if the help had never touched a medical simulator or practiced on a test dummy. At the very least he had read up on basic stitching and sterilization techniques. His universal applications of Hibiclens amused her to no end. Honestly, it was a good idea and not far off from protocols at the medical center.

As she stored away various supplies and labeled cabinets, an uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach again. She didn’t know how she would handle emergency surgery with only one assistant, who was more just an extra pair of hands than someone who could synonymously assess and treat whoever ended up on that operating table. Elisa was going to be the sole surgeon in here, and that was a daunting responsibility. Especially considering the fact that if she made a wrong move, her life was then potentially on the line.

Elisa trusted Rae ― to an extent. She wasn’t sure if Rae would truly be able to protect her from these people if they wanted to hurt her. Elisa trusted her judgement, and she believed Rae when she said the Comfy Cartel weren’t evil people. But Elisa was quickly learning that good and evil were perceived differently by everyone.

In the hospital, they had one objective: save lives. Not counting the ulterior motives for promotions, raises, or the coverups. But this was not the hospital, and the cartel’s objectives were only two: make money and kill anyone that got in their way.

That was the one thing that stayed consistent. It never mattered whether the patient she was treating was a good person or not. All she saw was red. There was no black or white. It didn’t matter whether she considered the Comfy Cartel good or evil. She was obligated to do her job and nothing more.

If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t have much leverage to be calling anyone out on their criminal activities. She wasn’t righteous. She wasn’t going to the police or even trying to escape the situation she had been entangled in. The situation she had _allowed_ herself to be entangled in. She had to remind herself that she was getting a lot out of this arrangement, too.

Some might even say she was taking the easy way out. But she was sick and tired of suffering through the residency for what was basically minimum wage, even if that was supposedly the right thing to do. The healthcare system abused their once bright eyes and uncrushed souls with 80-hour weeks ― according to their “lawful limit.” The head surgeons and doctors didn’t care about saving lives even if that was their objective. They cared about their status and their pay.

Elisa couldn’t even say she was any different. Because while her only objective was to save as much blood from being spilled as she could, she didn’t _truly_ care about any of the lives she was trying to save. They were nameless faces. They were tasks. They were her salary. It wasn’t personal, it was detachment they were taught in the academy. And while she was good at her job, her stamina was wavering from the constant sleep deprivation.

Really, this wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened to her. She was scamming the system and taking the easy way to get her license ― fine. If that made her a bad person, so be it. The system was fucked anyway. It turned good students fresh out of med school into lifeless zombies struggling to make their debt repayment installments on time. The whole industry was just about blood and money.

Just like the Comfy Cartel.

Maybe there was no such thing as good people.

xx

“Alright, I think I got the hang of it. But I’m probably going to leave all the technical stuff to you. Seems to be your forte,” Elisa said, handing the manual back to Brodin.

“Yeah, I thought you might say that.”

“I labeled the cabinets and drawers,” Elisa started, gesturing to her progress, “so everything should be easy to find. We’ll have to familiarize ourselves with the setup when everything else comes in, and I think we should run some drills to get into a routine. It might be a good idea for me to teach you some medical terms, too. It’s easier to communicate that way.”

Brodin nodded along. “I agree. Do you have any old textbooks I can look at? I might be of more use if I can read up on protocols.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’ll pick them up tomorrow.”

Brodin’s eyes swept the area. “You did a good job. It looks a lot better than it did before.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. “I still want to do a deep clean and sterilize everything, do you know where I can get chemicals around here?”

“You don’t have to worry about sterilizing, I think Yvonne will take care of it. She’s around here somewhere, I’ll introduce you.”

Elisa followed Brodin out of Med Bay as he took out his phone. They made their way to the comfy room where she saw a woman with bluish hair wearing coveralls petting a white cat.

“Hey, Brodin. Who’s the newbie?”

“Yvonne, this is Dr. Karma. Karma, this is Yvonne, the Janitor. She takes care of the waste management around here,” Brodin explained.

Yvonne jumped up and approached Karma with her hand outstretched, which she took. “Nice to meet you, Doc! Good thing you’re here, maybe I won’t have to get rid of so many bodies now.”

Elisa blinked at her, unsure of how to respond to that. Yvonne must have seen the startled look on her face because she started laughing.

“I’m just kidding, no need to look so terrified,” she smiled.

Elisa forced a grin and exhaled. “Right.” She was more curious than ever as to how often their people were hurt or in need of medical assistance. Her attention was diverted to the small cat rubbing up against her pant leg, and she knelt down to give it a scratch on the head. “Cute cat. Do all of you keep your pets here?”

“Not all of us. That’s Somi, she’s my ragdoll. Very sweet and affectionate,” Yvonne said proudly.

Somi pawed at Elisa and she gently took her little paw. “Look at these cute little murder mittens,” she squealed.

“You have one, too? Or a dog?” Brodin asked her.

Elisa shook her head, standing back up. “No time for pets when you spend more time at work than at home.”

“Well,” Yvonne said, picking Somi up to cradle in her arms. “That’s why we bring ours here. Though I pretty much live here, anyway.”

“So, I was wondering what you were planning to use in Med Bay as far as cleaning goes ― if that’s part of what you do here? I can take care of it, I just need the disinfectants and a mop and stuff.”

“No need, I’ll get a couple of grunts on it tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, cleaning is my area of expertise. I’ll have it sterilized and ready to go after every use.”

The sound of voices approaching caused the trio to glance in the direction of the source.

“Oi! Rae, Corpse, you check out the newbie?”

Rae chuckled. “You’re a little late to the party, Yvonne.” She walked over to pet Somi, who nuzzled her head into Rae’s palm.

“Well, forgive me, _Rachel._ I just woke up an hour ago.”

Elisa loosened her hair from her ponytail and Rae’s eyes deadlocked on her. “Holy shit, your hair!”

“It really isn’t that much shorter, why are you yelling?” Elisa whined.

Rae circled her and then came back around to face her head on, eyes narrowed. “Leslie,” she whispered ominously.

“How’d you know?” Elisa asked.

“No one escapes that bitch without getting cut.” Rae jerked her arm to reposition her. “See, Corpse? That’s like, four inches shorter than it was! Tell me I’m overreacting.”

Elisa turned to her and said, “You’re overreacting,” in perfect unison with Corpse. Elisa cast a glance over her shoulder at the masked man and giggled.

“I think I’m missing something here…” Yvonne trailed, eyes darting between the three of them.

“Oh, this is my roommate. We’ve known each other forever,” Rae explained, hooking an arm around Elisa’s neck, while she hugged Rae’s torso.

“Oh, oh, oh.” Yvonne nodded in understanding. “Everything makes sense now, got it.”

A cell phone rang out and Yvonne put Somi down so she could dig around for her phone. She checked the device and said, “That’s my cue, I’ll catch you guys later. It was nice meeting you, Doc!”

“You too,” Elisa waved as Yvonne departed for the back exit.

“Let’s go get dinner, I’m starved,” Rae suggested. “You can catch me up on how your first day went.”

“Sounds good to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> World building isn't over yet but exciting things are soon to come! Thank you for reading <3


End file.
